The Digital Television Transition

By Congressman Bob Goodlatte
R-VA 6th Congressional District

In less than two months, television broadcasters across the country will stop broadcasting their signal in analog format and will broadcast only in digital format. This transition from analog to digital, known as the Digital TV (DTV) transition, will take place on February 17, 2009, and will bring new opportunities and innovative services to all consumers. The potential for more channels, clearer pictures, better sound quality and greater consumer choice is what makes digital television such an exciting technology.

Digital television represents the most significant development in television technology since the advent of color television. In order to receive and view this new television service, consumers must have a digital television set equipped with a digital tuner capable of receiving the digital signal that is provided either over-the-air or via cable or satellite television systems. Analog-only televisions will no longer be able to receive the new broadcast signals. Those televisions must be connected to cable or satellite systems or be equipped with a digital-to-analog converter box.

While I believe that the digital transition must occur, it is also important to help ease the burden on those American households that do not already have digital television sets. For that reason, Congress established a digital-to-analog converter box program that will partially subsidize consumer purchases of converter boxes. Consumers can apply for up to two forty-dollar coupons per household to offset the cost of a digital-to-analog converter box. These converter boxes will not only enable all analog televisions to function, they should also provide better reception and additional features such as closed captioning and parental controls. To learn more about the TV Converter Box program and apply for the coupons, consumers should visit the program’s website at www.dtv2009.gov.

An important benefit of the switch to all-digital broadcasting is that it will free up parts of the valuable analog spectrum for public safety communications, such as police, fire departments and rescue squads. Additionally, some of the analog spectrum will be auctioned off for more exciting uses like wireless high speed Internet services, which will provide more options for consumers in rural areas. In addition, a portion of the revenue raised in the spectrum auction will be returned to the U.S. Treasury, thereby contributing to federal deficit reduction.

The digital television transition is exciting news for consumers but we don’t want it to be confusing. I am pleased that over the course of the next 2 months, television stations all across the country will be working hard to increase awareness of this upcoming transition. Specifically, they will begin conducting analog shut-off tests to help viewers determine whether their current TV sets are digital-ready. These tests will help consumers prepare for the transition.

Additionally, please don’t hesitate to contact my office if you need more information about the upcoming digital television transition and how it might affect you or visit the Federal Communications Commission’s website.